Busting the Bracket is the Internet's premier source for high school and college basketball news and information. 365 days a year, Busting the Bracket provides analysis and predictions on the top players, teams and conferences in college basketball. No player goes unnoticed and no team is under the radar. Until the last second ticks off in Dallas, Busting the Bracket will keep you informed.

Pages

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

April 17th News and Notes

According to the Indianapolis Star, Indiana junior forward D.J. White has decided to return for his senior season with the Hoosiers and not enter the NBA Draft. "We talked about it and he told me that he really wanted to be a part of this program again next season,'' Coach Kelvin Sampson said. "He had fun this year, and he really enjoyed being on this team. And I think he looked ahead to next year and realized we have a chance to be pretty good and I just think he wanted to be part of that.'' White averaged 13.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this past season. Sampson was looking forward to coaching White for another season. He said, “I think D.J. has the potential to be a really strong player for us next season and I'm really excited that he's going to return for another season.”

According to the Associated Press, George Washington junior guard Maureece Rice has announced that he will enter the NBA Draft. However, he is not planning on hiring an agent, leaving open the option of returning to the Colonials. Rice led the team in scoring this past season with 15.8 points per game, and also added 3.6 rebounds per contest.

According to The News & Advance, Liberty junior guard Dwight Brewington, who is trying to become the first deaf NBA player, has announced that he will enter the NBA Draft. He also intends to hire an agent, which would ruin any shot he had of returning to the Flames next season. Brewington said he was doing it to support his family. “But it is time to take care of my family,” he said. “I am going to get my degree regardless, but for now I am putting it on hold to pursue my dream of playing professional basketball." Newly hired coach Ritchie McKay backed the decision. "We are supportive of Dwight in his decision to pursue a professional opportunity," McKay said. "Our prayers and support are with him and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors." Brewington, who played two years at Providence before transferring, averaged 14.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this past season.

According to the Rocky Mountain News, Air Force has ended their search for a new coach to replace new Colorado head man Jeff Bzdelik. The Falcons have promoted assistant coach Jerry Reynolds to the top spot. Reynolds has been an assistant at Air Force since 2005. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at Tulane and UNC-Greenbsoro, and a head coach at Wingate. According to Andy Katz of ESPN.com, South Alabama will hire Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Ronnie Arrow to become their next head coach. Arrow will replace John Pelphrey, who was hired at Arkansas earlier this month. Arrow has coached at Corpus Christi since 1998, guiding them from a new Division-I program to the NCAA Tournament this past season. Interestingly, Arrow was already the head coach at South Alabama for seven seasons in the late 80s and early 90s, going 114-93 and reaching two NCAA Tournaments. The official announcement will be made on Tuesday.

Saint Louis University has fired head coach Brad Soderberg. The Billikens went 20-13 this past season, and Soderberg went 80-74 in his five seasons with SLU. However, the Billikens never reached the NCAA Tournament under Soderberg. The school released a statement discussing the firing. "Saint Louis University has today informed Brad Soderberg that he will be replaced as head men’s basketball coach, and the University will immediately begin the process of hiring a new head coach. . . . An extensive review of the state of the men’s basketball program has been ongoing since the end of the 2006-2007 season. This review has included a detailed analysis of the just-concluded season, the team’s failure to make a postseason tournament in recent years, and the future of the men’s basketball program . . . It was determined that a coaching change is necessary if the University is to achieve its goal of consistently having one of the nation’s top basketball programs. . . .”

According to The Clarion-Ledger, three Mississippi State sophomores will transfer from the school. Twins Reginald and Richard Delk, both starters this past season, and reserve center Bernard Rimmer have announced their intentions. “Reginald, Richard and Bernard are all good people from terrific families, and we wish them the very best of luck in their future endeavors,” coach Rick Stansbury said. “All three players are looking to play more minutes and want to play bigger roles than are currently available on this team.” The Delk’s father, Rickie, said that the twins were not happy with the style of play that the Bulldogs utilized. He also said that it is too early to tell where Reginald and Richard will transfer. Reginald averaged 9.5 points per game, while Richard contributed 5.7 per contest. Rimmer, who played sparingly, is expected to transfer to Georgia State.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Michigan coach John Beilein has granted a release to the team’s top recruit, Alex Legion. “We have had several discussions with Alex and his family, and they have expressed an interest in opening his recruitment,” Beilein said. “We understand his situation and encouraged him to do so, giving Alex his unconditional release. “I feel that this was the best thing for me," Legion told FOXSports.com. Legion also said that he has narrowed his list of schools to Connecticut, UCLA, Kentucky, and Kansas. He is ranked as one of the top 50 players in the country by most recruiting services.

According to the Associated Press, Texas A&M recruit DeAndre Jordan said that he will honor his commitment to play for the Aggies. "It was real important because I didn't know anything about [new head] coach [Mark] Turgeon," Jordan said. “So I met with him. I liked what he was talking about and where he is taking the program and that convinced me." Jordan had been rumored to be wavering on his commitment to A&M after the departure of Billy Gillespie to Kentucky and the hiring of former Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon. Jordan is ranked as the #8 recruit in the country by Rivals.com.FOX Sports’ Jeff Goodman breaks down the recruitment of McDonald’s All-American Patrick Patterson. The nation’s top unsigned recruit, Patterson has narrowed his list to six schools: Florida, Duke, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wake Forest. Goodman says that Florida is the favorite. However, Patterson does not seem like he will announce his intentions anytime soon. “I am going to take my time," Patterson said. “I may wait until May.”